Since not all women are called to pastor a local church within a denomination, the need exists for women, who are called to serve and lead in Christian ministry, to have a body of believers recognize and affirm their calling with a Ministerial Credentialing process. To accommodate the move of the Holy Spirit in Christianity today, SWIM International, as an Incorporated Religious Organization, has in its by-laws full rights to legally license and ordain.

We believe it is the Holy Spirit of God who “calls”, equips and raises up leaders in the Church, both men and women. Ordination is the recognition and affirmation by the Body of Christ of what God has Himself purposed and established in a person’s life. We do take this opportunity of Credentialing as a holy and serious matter. However, we are not primarily a Christian licensing or ordaining service, instead we exist to support women, in different ways, who are currently in ministry or preparing for ministry with the goal of spreading the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ the Lord.

Knowing full well there are many means of being licensed or ordained for ministry in Christendom today, we see our Credentialing process in a unique way. Rather than have a one-size-fits-all procedure, S.W.I.M. has no set time frame or set educational requirements. Instead, we desire through much prayer to be lead by the Holy Spirit’s guidance in determining what each applicant needs by way of skills and preparation to fulfill their particular ministry to which they are called. Therefore, S.W.I.M. offers unique and specific assistance for women as they prepare for leadership in Christian ministry. S.W.I.M. is primarily meant to be a support network that is relationally based, whereby we, as women in ministry, can learn from and assist one another in fulfilling God’s purposes in our lives.

The following links will provide you with the necessary documents to seek ordination with SWIM. For questions regarding these forms, contact Rev. Laurie Graber, Ordination Chair, at graberlaurie@yahoo.com